Abstract
VEIL is a two-year multimedia art investigation exploring the intersection of declassified government documentation, ancient civilizations, and contemporary UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) phenomena. Across a global field research programme spanning the Southeast Asian Khmer corridor (Thailand and Cambodia), Istanbul, the American Southwest, and site work in Scotland, the artist will document key sites, gather footage and photography, and synthesize findings into a series of original artworks released in drops across the project arc.
Works will combine original oil paintings, found footage, archival material, and data visualization rendered through TouchDesigner, produced as both physical pieces and NFTs. The first drop is targeted for autumn 2026.
This proposal requests grant funding from the Rari Foundation to support Phase 1 field research: the Thailand and Cambodia leg, Istanbul documentation continuation, and the October 2026 US research conference and Southwest field leg. The project positions Rach / Rocketgirl, an established oil painter and Web3 artist with an active collector base on SuperRare, Ninfa, Opensea and Transient Labs, at the intersection of investigative art, contemporary history, and digital culture.
Motivation
There has never been a more relevant moment to create serious art about humanity’s relationship with the unknown. The declassification of UAP files by governments around the world, new congressional hearings, and a global resurgence of interest in ancient civilization research have created a public hunger for work that takes these questions seriously — not as conspiracy, but as cultural history.
Mainstream art has largely failed to engage with this material at a high level. What exists is either documentary journalism, sensationalist television, or fringe content. VEIL proposes something different: a sustained, rigorous, and aesthetically serious artistic investigation conducted on-location at the world’s most significant sites — from the Khmer temples of Thailand and Cambodia to the coast of the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, from the nuclear corridors of Brazil to the UAP hotspots of the American Southwest.
The Web3 and NFT community is one of the few places where long-form, conceptually ambitious, multi-year art projects can find both financial support and a genuinely engaged collector base. VEIL sits at the exact intersection of values the Rari ecosystem represents: artist sovereignty, community engagement, and work that pushes beyond the conventional boundaries of what art can do.
Rationale
The Rari Foundation’s commitment to supporting independent artists and experimental creative work makes it an ideal partner for VEIL. The project aligns with several core principles:
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Artist autonomy: VEIL is entirely artist-led, with no institutional gatekeeping — field research, production, and release decisions are made by the artist.
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Community value: Collectors and the broader Web3 community gain access to a transparent, ongoing creative process documented in real time across social platforms, research posts, and studio updates.
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Long-term significance: VEIL is a sustained two-year body of work — a legitimate contribution to the canon of investigative multimedia art with an active drop schedule and physical exhibition pipeline.
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Web3 as natural home: The layered, evidence-based nature of VEIL — where artworks carry embedded reference material, archival documentation, and field data — maps directly onto the transparency and provenance afforded by blockchain-backed works.
Strategically, the Rari Foundation’s support would enable a critical early phase of international field research that cannot be fully self-funded at pace, unlocking the full scope of the project before public momentum has had the chance to build.
Key Terms
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VEIL: The project title. A reference to the veil between the known and unknown, the classified and the declassified, the ancient and the contemporary.
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UAP: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. The current official terminology used by governments and military institutions for what was formerly called UFOs.
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TouchDesigner: A node-based visual programming environment used to create real-time generative and data-driven visual compositions. VEIL artworks will be built using this platform.
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NFT: Non-Fungible Token. Blockchain-verified digital artworks. VEIL outputs will be minted on the Ethereum blockchain.
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Rocketgirl / Rach: The artist. Edinburgh-based oil painter and Web3 artist with active collector base and a strong track record on SuperRare, Ninfa, Foundation, and Transient Labs.
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Phase 1: The first international field research leg — Thailand, Cambodia (Siem Reap cluster), Istanbul, and the US Southwest.
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The Khmer Corridor: The ancient civilization research cluster linking Phimai Historical Park (Thailand) and the Angkor Wat complex (Cambodia) via a historically connected 225km ancient Khmer pathway.
Specifications
Phase 1A — The Khmer Corridor (Thailand)
The first international research leg focuses on the geographically and historically connected Khmer site network in Thailand — architecturally anomalous, celestially aligned, and a significant reference point in ancient civilization research.
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Phimai Historical Park (Nakhon Ratchasima) - the largest Khmer temple in Thailand, believed to be the architectural blueprint for Angkor Wat. Sits at the end of a 225km ancient Khmer road connecting directly to Angkor. Featured on Ancient Aliens for its sacred geometric carvings and celestial alignment.
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Ayutthaya - ancient capital ruins; megastructure temple complexes and giant Buddha statues with significant astronomical alignment. Rich visual environment.
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Lopburi - multiple temple sites of documented ancient astronaut researcher interest.
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Sukhothai - early Thai capital with ruins spanning a vast ancient urban landscape.
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Kao Kala Hill - active documented UAP sighting location; base for the UFO Kaokala group (200+ members with multiple reported contact experiences). Direct community interview opportunity.
Phase 1B — Cambodia (Siem Reap Cluster, 4 days)
A focused 4-day Siem Reap-based extension of the Thailand leg. The remote Cambodian sites (Koh Ker, Preah Vihear, Sambor Prei Kuk) require overnight logistics beyond the current Phase 1 window and are scoped for a future dedicated Cambodia leg.
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Angkor Wat - the world’s largest ancient religious structure. Celestial alignment, megastructure scale, and construction anomalies are central to alternative archaeology research. Multiple visits planned at dawn and dusk for full visual documentation.
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Ta Prohm - jungle-overtaken temple containing a disputed bas-relief depiction of a stegosaurus in an 800-year-old structure. Visually extraordinary and archaeologically anomalous.
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Beng Mealea - unrestored 12th century jungle temple 40km east of Angkor. Largely unmapped, atmospherically powerful, rarely visited by researchers.
Phase 1C — Istanbul (Ongoing Documentation)
Research into the Kumburgaz Incident (2007–2009) — Turkey’s most documented UAP case, with footage analysed and deemed authentic by Turkish authorities — is already underway. The Kumburgaz coastline on the Sea of Marmara is the primary photographic location. Contact with the Sirius UFO Space Sciences Research Center (still active) is being pursued for network interviews and access to retired Turkish Air Force contacts who have reported UAP encounters.
Phase 1D — United States (October 2026)
A dedicated Southwest field research leg targeting the most concentrated cluster of documented UAP incidents, nuclear infrastructure, and government installation sites in the world. The American Southwest is central to the declassified files thread running through VEIL — more UAP sightings have been officially recorded here than anywhere else on Earth, and the nuclear/military correlation is direct and extensively documented.
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San Luis Valley, Colorado - one of the most densely documented UAP hotspot regions in the US, with thousands of recorded sightings and an active local research community. Primary interview and photography location.
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Roswell, New Mexico - the 1947 incident remains the most culturally significant UAP event in American history and the anchor of the US declassified files narrative. Site photography and archive access.
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Los Alamos, New Mexico - the birthplace of the atomic bomb and the strongest nuclear/UAP correlation site in the Southwest. The proximity of nuclear development and UAP activity in this region is a key research thread for VEIL.
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White Sands / Alamogordo - active military testing grounds and nuclear site cluster. Visual documentation of the landscape and infrastructure.
Production & Output
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Photography and footage from all field sites, curated and catalogued.
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Interview recordings with researchers, community members, and site locals.
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TouchDesigner compositions combining field footage, archival declassified material, data visualization, and original oil paintings.
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First drop — autumn 2026 — released as a blind mint with selected physical editions.
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Subsequent drops following each completed field leg through 2027.
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Research documentation published via rocketgirl.io and social channels in real time.
Mint Phase 1
Edition size: 400–500 pieces
Mint price: Approximately 0.04 ETH
DAO allocation: 30% of all mint funds will be allocated back to the Rari DAO.
This mint structure enables broad community access to the project while ensuring direct value return to the ecosystem that supported its creation. The edition size allows for meaningful collector participation across the existing Rocketgirl base and new VEIL audiences, while the DAO allocation establishes a transparent reciprocal funding model between artist and foundation.
Promotion
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Ongoing social documentation across X / Instagram with in-field posting and studio updates.
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Research posts and artist journal on rocketgirl.io.
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Collector previews for existing base.
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NFC Summit 2026 (Lisbon, June) — first institutional showing in an intimate setting already in development.
Revenue Model
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Primary: NFT sales across a multi-drop release schedule.
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Secondary: Physical editions of key works from each field leg. Will do a small exclusive drop on SuperRare for this element also.
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Tertiary: Exhibition fees and institutional licensing as the project scales.
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Grant funds are used exclusively for field research and travel costs. Production and release costs are artist-funded.
Steps to Implement
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Grant confirmation - Confirm Rari Foundation award and set milestone release schedule.
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Phase 1A/B travel booking - Book Thailand leg (Bangkok hub; Phimai, Lopburi, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Kao Kala) and confirm 4-day Cambodia extension (Siem Reap: Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Beng Mealea).
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Istanbul consolidation - Compile existing Kumburgaz research, photography, and interview notes. Progress Sirius Center contact for network access.
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Southeast Asia field research - On-location documentation across all Thailand and Cambodia Phase 1 sites.
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Return to studio - Archive and organise all field material. Map against existing declassified file database.
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NFC Summit 2026, Lisbon - June. First institutional presentation of VEIL works in progress.
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TouchDesigner production - Begin first artwork compositions using field footage, archival material, and original paintings.
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First drop - Autumn 2026. Release Phase 1 artwork series preview with full research documentation. This will be a preview drop on SuperRare.
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US leg - October 2026. Southwest field research: San Luis Valley, Roswell, Los Alamos, White Sands cluster. Photography, footage, and community interviews.
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Phase 2 production and second (main) drop - Late 2026. US field material integrated. Phase 2 field locations confirmed.
Timeline
| Period | Activities & Deliverables |
|--------|---------------------------|
| Mar–Apr 2026 | Pre-production: travel booking, Istanbul research consolidation, Brazil documentation compiled. Grant milestone 1 confirmed. |
| Apr–May 2026 | Phase 1A - Thailand field research: Phimai, Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Sukhothai, Kao Kala Hill. Full photography and footage captured. Community interviews conducted. |
| May 2026 | Phase 1B - Cambodia: 4-day Siem Reap cluster. Angkor Wat (multiple visits), Ta Prohm, Beng Mealea documented. |
| Jun 2026 | Return to Edinburgh studio. Archive and synthesis begins. NFC Summit 2026, Lisbon - first institutional VEIL presentation. |
| Jul–Sep 2026 | TouchDesigner production - Phase 1 artworks. Original paintings integrated. First drop works completed and prepared for release. |
| Autumn 2026 | FIRST DROP - Phase 1 NFT release on SuperRare / Ninfa with full field documentation and provenance. Grant milestone 2. |
| Oct 2026 | Phase 1D - US Southwest field research: San Luis Valley (Colorado), Roswell, Los Alamos, White Sands (New Mexico). Photography, footage, community interviews. |
| Nov–Dec 2026 | US material archived and integrated. Second drop production begins. Phase 2 field locations confirmed. |
| 2027 | Phase 2 field research (candidates: Peru / Bolivia; Egypt / Lebanon; Japan / Mongolia). Ongoing drops per field leg. Exhibition pipeline development. |
Overall Cost
The following budget covers all Phase 1 field research legs and initial production. All figures are estimates; final figures subject to confirmation at booking stage.
| Item | Est. Cost |
|------|-----------|
| Return flights Edinburgh → Bangkok (Thailand / Cambodia leg) | £900 |
| Internal Thailand transport (Phimai, Lopburi, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Kao Kala) | £300 |
| Thailand accommodation (4–5 weeks) | £800 |
| Thailand site entry, guides, and local research contacts | £200 |
| Cambodia: flight Bangkok → Siem Reap, visa | £200 |
| Cambodia accommodation (4 days, Siem Reap) | £200 |
| Cambodia site entry and local transport (tuk tuk, driver) | £150 |
| Istanbul: flights Edinburgh → Istanbul, accommodation (ongoing documentation) | £600 |
| US: return flights Edinburgh → US (October field research leg) | £800 |
| US: accommodation and transport (Southwest road research, Colorado to New Mexico) | £700 |
| Field equipment (memory, drives, batteries, travel tripod) | £400 |
| Research materials (archive access, files, translation) | £200 |
| Production — TouchDesigner licences, studio costs | £400 |
| NFC Summit 2026, Lisbon (travel + accommodation) | £600 |
| Contingency (10%) | £655 |
| TOTAL (Phase 1 — all legs) | £6,905 |
Contact: rocketgirl.nft@gmail.com
Website: rocketgirl.io
Artist: Rach / Rocketgirl (@Rocketgirlart)